Starts

[gamestop]

Looking for some suggestions getting my crew off the line a little faster. Once they're into their high strokes its not bad but the first few are still sloppy.

I do a lot of pause at the finish every stroke in the first five, a lot of starts low rate light press to get the feeling of being connected.

What are some other good drills or practices for start work?

[GettingFaster]

Are they connecting well from the catch, is there some missing water on the first stroke? It's hard to tell what the problem may be from just "sloppy", something more specific would be helpful.

IF connection is the problem, one trick I've been taught to help that is to push the handle forward slightly (back the blade, really) on the "Attention" call to make sure that the blade is really locked into the water and that there won't be any slippage on the first stroke. I've only done it in the 1x, but it can be applied to bigger boats and it is completely legal, I know that the trick has been used all the way up to Worlds.

[lt.wolf]

Keep it simple as possible , keep it clean. You dont have to win the start just get off the line with everyone.

I grew tired of all the 1/4 , 3/4 , half, 7/8 stuff. Simple - Sit 3/4 blades buried . Then take it and go full , full full full. Find rhythm and stride then race pace.

Drills for start.
Rate the slide , no pressure in the water. have them feel the water on the blade as it goes thru the drive.

Try some quarter feather starts .

Also do some starts at various pressure. Zero pressure, half pressure , 3/4 pressure , then half rate half speed then full rate and full speed

[bloomp]

Are they connecting well from the catch, is there some missing water on the first stroke? It's hard to tell what the problem may be from just "sloppy", something more specific would be helpful.

IF connection is the problem, one trick I've been taught to help that is to push the handle forward slightly (back the blade, really) on the "Attention" call to make sure that the blade is really locked into the water and that there won't be any slippage on the first stroke. I've only done it in the 1x, but it can be applied to bigger boats and it is completely legal, I know that the trick has been used all the way up to Worlds.

I've only heard this as being useful in sculling boats - I've used it in the single, but never in a sweep boat.

Ensuring the blades are buried is crucial. In big boats I tell my rowers to lift the hands an inch on "attention". Typically issues arise from not every blade moving through the same amount of water (i.e. uneven forces and unequal finishes) so you are offset from the get-go. With that extra depth (ensuring no paint is visible), you pretty much eliminate that.

I've heard that technique is poor for smaller boats, but it works well for fours/quads/eights. Really gets rid of the tendency to rip at the first stroke.

[gamestop]

Appreciate the feedback. I like the idea of just forgetting the whole 3/4, 1/2 nonsense. If the high strokes are effective, just get right to it. Also like just talking about feeling the water on the blade during the drive at zero press.

I also think the issue might be more uniformity, i.e. I have those two kids who's blades are stuck on the water because they are not getting out and over with the rest of the crew.

Also, I've rowed nothing but big boats, and I always employed the push the handle forward slightly at attention to get a better grab of the water. I did that whether the rest of the crew was doing it or not, I always felt I needed that extra security.

[Drower]

Looking for some suggestions getting my crew off the line a little faster. Once they're into their high strokes its not bad but the first few are still sloppy.

I do a lot of pause at the finish every stroke in the first five, a lot of starts low rate light press to get the feeling of being connected.

What are some other good drills or practices for start work?

What i do, is have the team do the first stroke three or four times, stopping the boat everytime and sitting ready as for a normal start, then do the first two strokes, then three and four then seven stroke starts. It is important that the strokes look like what they would in a full maximum pressure start.
Also (of course) ending practice with 2-3 seven stroke starts.

One trick i heard once for the mental aspect, is doing the first 8 strokes as if the race, was only 8 strokes long, then relax completely and slowly let the rate settle.

[KiwiCanuck]

Bit late to the party as the OP was about a month ago but...

Like Bloomp, I've advocated a small lift of the handle on "Attention", but I address it by saying they should bury their blades a little deeper to cut down on "washout" or cavitation (the blade sucking air behind it during the first few hard strokes) when they take the first stroke. The idea is that with a slightly bigger column of water above the blade, it stays "locked" (although we all know it does move through the water during the stroke), and the boat moves past the blades, more than the blade moves along the boat.

Because you need leverage, to get the boat moving, the first few (2-4?) strokes should be a bit **longer**edit - that should say "shorter" - from a presentation by Nolte, you can only get "lift" on the blade where there's some boat speed, which is initially generated by shorter "push the water" strokes, and enhanced by longer strokes a little later on when there's actually "tip first" movement of the blade(s) in the water at the longer strokes. I've usually advocated a stroke length sequence of: 3/4, a little longer, a little longer, a little longer, full... (and you do get hydrodynamic lift on the blades - Sliasas's research has shown that - and some of his unpub work has shown better "lift" with about 10 cm of water above the top edge of the blade (personal communication...))

The first stroke is aimed at moving the boat toward the finish line without kicking it aft. So you bury the blades a bit, and START the FIRST stroke at perhaps 80% and build it up to "let-it-rip" through the first stroke. Get out high and clean, move fast and get the sticks in the drink for stroke two - start that stroke at perhaps 95% and build it up - it also has to be a bit deep, again to prevent cavitation of the blades.

Then let's go, crank it up, get the boat up to speed... It takes about 7 strokes to get boats up to "race speed" (I forget who did that particular study but I've seen confirmation of that with accelerometer data from the "kiwi" days of my "handle") so the remaining 20 or so that people do as a starting sprint is often with the aim of getting a lead early in the race, rather than adding speed...

Aim for an early lead - it doesn't have to be a big lead, but it helps to be in front - that's why everyone tries to do it - Kleshnev's data from when he was still in Australia showed over a series of worlds and Olympics that the first boat to the 500 was also the first boat to the 2000 in about 75% of cases - more true in big boats than little boats because the big boats are faster and "strategy" is "get to the gosh-darned finish line"... However, physiologically - if you take too big a lead at the start, either you're racing the wrong people and need to raise your "game" and take on faster opponents, or you're going to pay in the last third of the race...

[Stroszek]

some crews go too hard at the start and rip the water by moving the blade faster than it should go. think more of a squeeze the first three strokes. "squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, full full". you can try single stroke add a pair drills to help feel this. start buried, stern pair, take one stroke and glide. check the boat down, add another pair, take one stroke, etc.

[caustic]

The strokes at the start should be taken a bit differently than those of the rest of the race. For your crew, the only purpose of the starting strokes is to get the boat going from 0MPH to something faster than 0PMH. You do not want any washing out at all if possible, and you want them to be quick. For those first few strokes, it's encouraged to dig a bit deep to ensure no washing out - of all things, a starting stroke should NEVER wash out.

Because the load is so heavy at the beginning, I don't encourage long strokes until the boat's up to speed - I like shorter, punchier, deeper strokes at the start to ensure the blades are anchored, and that the crew is able to get more of those short deep strokes in as little time as possible. I also don't like having people focus on a set distance along the slide (everyone's personal definition of those lengths, and their bodies as well, differ), because more importantly, all the blades should be getting in at the same time - timing is absolutely critical in the start, not only because it helps share the load, but also because it helps get the crew in time quickly. Instead of 1/4, 1/2, etc, I suggest you instead coach them with more general wording, like "short, short, lengthen, lengthen, full", and put more emphasis on making sure they all get in at the same time each and every stroke. They're fast strokes; rowers need to be hyper-focused on getting in together.

Once the boat's moving at a speed faster than 0, THEN you transition into the high 10 or 20, and those strokes should be focusing on getting full length and high rating to get the boat from speed X up to race speed. Then, once they're there, THAT is when a crew should transition to a more powerful drive and increase their ratio to make a sustainable pace through the rest of the race.

[rowingpun]

Bit late to the party as the OP was about a month ago but...

I'll carry the late torch for you. I think the number one reason for bad starts is trying to kill it on the first stroke. Getting them to merely get the boat rolling on the first stroke the quickly punching the oar back in on the second to keep it moving is my bread and butter. Stroke 3 is the first truly full pressure stroke of the race, imo.

My 8 in HS was very light and we used the 3/4 full full full start and while we rarely got across the finish line first we usually won the first 100m. I could see this as very effective for smaller shells and crews. If the goal is to get from 0 to race pace in as few strokes as possible, why is a light 4 doing the same start as a heavy 8? 1/2 1/2 lengthen full full is one I've employed for strong fours.

Also, with my naked eye and no objective evidence at all it would seem to me that if you do a standard 3/4, 1/2, 3/4 3/4 full start each stroke should be about the same length catch to catch, and as the drive speed increases the recovery lengthens and the rate remains the same. Does this sound about right?

[bloomp]

Bit late to the party as the OP was about a month ago but...

I'll carry the late torch for you. I think the number one reason for bad starts is trying to kill it on the first stroke. Getting them to merely get the boat rolling on the first stroke the quickly punching the oar back in on the second to keep it moving is my bread and butter. Stroke 3 is the first truly full pressure stroke of the race, imo.

My standard advice is "you can't win a race off the start, but you certainly can lose it" and emphasize how fcuk up that first stroke makes it so very hard to get momentum going. Pry. Pry. Then attack it.

I've seen some success of ditching the shorter strokes entirely. Current coach advocates 3/4, 3/4, full, full, full. Works for us and the other boats he has.

[KiwiCanuck]

Agree with the "don't try to kill it on the first stroke" thoughts.

Experience: Training a Canada Games crew, stroke was really strong but every start she ripped out of the water on the first stroke, boat turned to port, and it took them the rest of their start and then some, to get straight again. After she learned to bury a bit more on "attention", and start a tiny bit below full pressure, she kept the blade covered for the stroke, came out clean, boat went straight, and they managed to win.
Experience: Visited Al Morrow during the last few weeks of training before the 1996 Olympics, and one of the practices was the eventual winners of the W2X (Heddle/McBean) working on starts. Stroke 1 was - well - nothing much except clean. Stroke 2 was quick, possibly a bit shorter, but, again, nothing much. Stroke 3 there was a dramatic change - "light-er-up-we're-going-for-it" kind of change, and it looked like they were on fire. Didn't hurt that they both rowed and sculled well, both had sub 6:45 ergo scores (in 1996)...
I'm not fond of sleeping through the racing start, but I'm also not convinced you have to go crazy at stroke 1.

[JD]

Some things I talk about re starts:
Never, ever, never rip water on a start. Only row as hard as you can so you prevent the blades from slipping and air from getting under the blades.
Listen to the first few strokes. They should be quiet. No sucking sounds, no toilet flushing noises. No whacking the water or hitting spray.
Move the boat out by pushing on green water. Dark, compact whirlpools, not foamy, turbulent puddles.
A little deep and lift the boat from the legs "Show me the fin".
Don't yank on the back half, just keep the blades fully covered against the water.
Cut off the lay back a bit, but finish off your stroke and swing out of bow. Lots of body movement to get forward again.
Very disciplined about posture. Sit up to be able to pull in high and clench your core to handle the forces.
Release timing is crucial on the first few strokes due to the forces on the blade and riggers. Practice starts every day to get the timing and length down.
On full power starts suspend from the legs onto the pin and keep the arms straight until vertical.
Release a little extra high off the water to clear the spray.
"You can't win the race on the first stroke, but you can lose it."
If you can consistently do good starts, you can do anything in the boat.